Chapter Six: A Dangerous Desire

Sage’s scream never left her throat.

She was on the move before she even processed what she was doing, tearing through the trees, her wolf screaming inside her.

No. No. No.

Ronan’s claws had slashed—but Kieran had moved. At the last second, he had twisted, and Ronan’s strike had cut across his shoulder instead of his throat. Blood sprayed the ground, but Kieran was still alive.

For now.

Sage didn’t think—she just acted. She launched herself between them, shoving Ronan back with a force that startled even her.

“What the hell are you doing?!” she snarled.

Ronan’s eyes flashed. “Get out of the way, Sage.”

“No.” She spread her arms, standing between Kieran and the warriors holding him down. “This isn’t what you think.”

Ronan’s lips curled. “It’s exactly what I think. You were with him.”

Kieran let out a low, pained chuckle from the ground. “She was with me all right.”

Sage shot him a glare. Not helping. She also did not understand why she was going against Ronan and basically her entire pack for someone she hated just hours ago.

Ronan’s fury darkened into something dangerous. His claws flexed at his sides. “You betrayed our pack.”

“No,” she said, forcing her voice steady. It sure as hell looked that way. “I was trying to figure out what’s happening with the rogues. Kieran and I—”

“You and Kieran?” Ronan’s tone was ice.

Sage grabbed her temples, closed her eyes and let out a huff. Was Ronan not the one who paired her up with Kieran at the start of the night? Why was it suddenly such a problem that they were together?

Ronan’s gaze flicked between them, and something ugly twisted in his expression. “You trust him?”

She hesitated, just for a second. But that was enough.

Ronan turned to the warriors. “Take him.”

“No!” Sage lunged, but two enforcers grabbed her, yanking her back.

Kieran struggled, but he was weakened, his blood staining the dirt.

“You’ll regret this, Silverfang,” he growled.

Ronan’s smile was cold. “No, you will.”

Then he turned.

And they dragged Kieran away.

---

The Aftermath

Sage paced her room, seething.

Her muscles ached from fighting against the enforcers, but it was nothing compared to the rage in her chest.

Kieran was locked up. Ronan refused to let her see him. And worse? The pack was already whispering.

Silverfang warriors had seen her standing with Kieran. Protecting him. With him all night. Her reputation was hanging by a thread. There really was no winning for her tonight.

A knock at her door snapped her out of her spiraling thoughts.

She yanked it open, and there he was.

Kieran.

Her breath hitched. His shirt was torn, his shoulder still bleeding. There were fresh bruises along his jaw, but his golden eyes burned.

“How—”

“I broke out,” he said simply, stepping inside.

Her pulse jumped. “Are you insane?”

Kieran smirked. “Little bit.”

Before she could process, before she could stop herself—she grabbed his face and kissed him. It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t slow.

It was desperate.

Kieran made a low sound in the back of his throat, his hands sliding to her waist, pulling her flush against him. His body was heat, tension, want.

Sage fisted his shirt, her nails digging into his skin as his lips moved against hers, fierce and claiming. When he bit her lower lip, she gasped, and he took that sound, deepening the kiss.

Her back hit the wall. His hands roamed—calloused fingers brushing over the curve of her waist, slipping beneath the hem of her shirt, searing against bare skin.

She shuddered.

His mouth left hers, trailing down her jaw, her throat.

Sage’s breath came in sharp, ragged bursts. Her hands tangled in his hair as his lips found the hollow of her collarbone, lingering.

He pressed closer. She could feel the hard lines of his body, the raw need in the way his hands explored—

There was a sharp knock on the door.

“Sage.”

Ronan’s voice.

Her stomach plummeted.

Kieran froze, his breath hot against her skin. Their eyes met—desire, panic, adrenaline.

Then he moved, disappearing through the window just as the door swung open.

Sage hid her bloodied hand, from when she had touched his shoulder just as Ronan stepped inside. He sniffed the air, and his eyes narrowed. “You smell like him.”

Sage’s heart stopped.

Ronan’s voice was low, lethal. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

Sage swallowed, her mind racing. The heat from Kieran’s touch was still imprinted on her skin. Her lips still tingled from his kiss.

Ronan took a step closer. “Tell me you didn’t let that traitor put his hands on you.”

Sage squared her shoulders. “He’s not a traitor.”

Ronan’s eyes flashed. His fingers twitched at his sides, as if fighting the urge to shift. “You really think that?”

“I know it,” she said firmly.

A muscle ticked in Ronan’s jaw. “Then you’re a fool.”

Silence stretched between them, heavy with unsaid words.

Then, quietly, dangerously, Ronan said, “You have no idea what you’ve done.”

A chill ran down Sage’s spine. “Ronan—”

But he was already turning, already heading for the door.

“I’ll handle this,” he muttered.

The door clicked shut behind him.

And Sage was left standing in the silence, her heart hammering, knowing—

This was only the beginning.